The King has approved the appointment of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh as His Majesty’s Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2024.
The announcement has been made today on the occasion of The Duke of Edinburgh’s 60th birthday and ten years since he last took on the role.
The Lord High Commissioner is the Sovereign’s personal representative to the Annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and attends the General Assembly on his behalf. The Lord High Commissioner makes the opening and closing addresses to the Assembly and carries out a number of other official functions.
He is the first member of the Royal Family to become Lord High Commissioner since his nephew HRH Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, was appointed in 2021.
His Majesty The King attended while Prince of Wales in 2000 and Princess Anne, The Princess Royal, and Prince Andrew have also been Lord High Commissioners with Her Majesty The Queen attending the General Assembly in person in 1969 and 2002.
The General Assembly, which was first held in 1560 in the first year of the Scottish Reformation, is the supreme court of the Church of Scotland.
It will take place in the General Assembly Hall on The Mound in Edinburgh from Saturday, May 18 until Thursday, May 23.
The Moderator Designate for 2024-25 is Rev Dr Shaw James Paterson. He will chair proceedings at the General Assembly and will be the Kirk’s ambassador at home and abroad for the following 12 months.
Details of the 2024 General Assembly programme are still being finalised and more information will be released in the coming weeks.
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